Dhamma: The Human Personality (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

The Human Personality in the Theravada Tradition

What is Theravada Buddhism?

Theravada Buddhism is one of the oldest schools of Buddhism

• It is known as the “school of the elders”

  • (“thera” means “elder” and “vada” means “school” in Pali, the main language of Theravada texts)

• Theravada Buddhism is practised mainly in Southeast Asia, in countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia

The main locations where Theravada Buddhism is practised

The main locations where Theravada Buddhism is practised

• Theravada Buddhists dedicate their lives to achieving enlightenment and Nibbana

• Some are ordained as monks and devote their whole lives to following the path of enlightenment:

  • After they become monks they follow strict rules and focus on Meditation, commitment to the Buddha and the Eightfold Path to bring good Kamma

• Some Buddhists believe that they can share their good fortune, or merit, with others:

  • This is especially important when someone has died

  • The family gather around the deceased person, hoping that they can transfer their merit to him or her so that they can have a favourable rebirth

 The Human Personality in Theravada Buddhism

• Theravada Buddhism teaches that all humans are made up of five parts, called the five aggregates or skandhas

• These five parts all interact with each other to make up a person’s identity and personality

The five aggregates

The Five Aggregates are Interlinked

            The Five Aggregates are Interlinked         

The Human Personality in the Mahayana Tradition

What is Mahayana Buddhism?

• Mahayana Buddhism is the term used for a number of different Buddhist traditions that share overlapping characteristics

• Mahayana Buddhism includes Pure Land Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism

• The key areas of the world where Mahayana Buddhism is found include China, Japan and South Korea

The main locations where Mahayana Buddhism is practised

The main locations where Mahayana Buddhism is practised

The Human Personality in Mahayana Buddhism

• Sunyata is a key concept in Mahayana Buddhism

• Sunyata means emptiness: the idea that nothing has a separate, independent “soul” or “self”:

  • Everything is empty and everything depends on something else for its existence

  • Nothing has a fixed, unchanging nature

• Realising that everything depends on everything else can change a person’s behaviour

  • It can make them more compassionate, selfless and trusting

  • This is because realising that everything is impermanent makes people less attached to things, and this reduces suffering

• The analogy of the laptop can be used to explain the nature of sunyata:

  • A laptop does not have a “soul” – a separate bit that forms the essence of the laptop

  • It is made up of lots of different parts, such as a graphics card, a hard drive and a keyboard

  • The laptop is interdependent and interrelated: every part relies on the other parts to work and make the computer function

  • The laptop is also impermanent: a part will eventually break and because the other parts rely on it, the laptop will break down and stop working

  • Therefore the laptop has the nature of Sunyata: it is empty of independent existence

A laptop is a good analogy for the nature of sunyata

A laptop is a good analogy for the nature of sunyata

Buddha-nature and attaining Buddhahood

• Buddha-nature is the idea that everyone has the seed, or the essence or nature of a Buddha within them:

  • This Buddha-nature can be hidden by ignorance, distractions and earthly attachments

• Once a person has understood the Buddha’s Dhamma they will become enlightened:

  • They will uncover the Buddha-nature that was always there

• The ultimate aim for Mahayana Buddhists is to achieve Buddhahood: to become a Buddha

• Because they believe that everyone can achieve Buddhahood, the idea of Buddha-nature encourages Buddhists to meditate and be generous

• The analogy of bees and honey is used in Buddhist scripture to describe Buddha-nature:

  • Buddha-nature is like honey surrounded by a swarm of bees

  • Even though the honey is sweet and delicious, as long as it is surrounded by bees it isn’t possible to eat it

  • The only way to experience the honey is to get rid of the bees

  • In the same way, a person has to get rid of distractions to attain Buddhahood

Buddhist scripture compares Buddha-nature to honey surrounded by a swarm of bees

Buddhist scripture compares Buddha-nature to honey surrounded by a swarm of bees